BRONSON, FL — A written statement from one of the witnesses in the June 12 white lynch mob attack that ended with police arresting 18-year-old Eric Oliver for defending his family and home shows the heroism of Eric and his brother Dion.
Ashlee Vamellie was a white neighbor who witnessed the lynch mob attack that started when Chris Minton led a white lynch mob to Eric Oliver’s home and demanded that his family send out 16-year-old Mikey Vasquez.
When police arrived they refused to take her and other witnesses statements. Instead, police took statements from members of the mob and questioned Eric before taking him to jail and charging him with aggravated battery.
Witness statements tell a different story from those of the mob members however. In her statement, Ashlee Vamellie states:
“On Tuesday, June 12th my family and I were watching a movie when we heard a lot of commotion coming from my neighbor’s yard. When we looked out our window, I could see a gang of people and Mikey being drug by two young men through my neighbors yard, going toward the road.
“At this time Eric and Dion pushed the two men as if to stop them from dragging Mikey. At this time the two men stopped dragging Mikey and they began to push Eric and Dion.
“At this time the gang of people approached closer to Eric and Dion. Eric then hit one of the men with his fist. The other man then swung and hit Dion.
“At this time my spouse and myself ran out the house in [an] effort to break the fight up. When approaching the fight, one of the men was hit by Dion. The other man and Eric were still fighting.
“Eric hit one of the men while he was running toward Eric. Eric hit the man with his fist and the fight was pretty much over. The men [were] still wanting to fight as they were pulled away.
“The gang of people yelled to Eric, Dion and Mikey ‘yall niggers better f**king move.’ Eric advised them that they are not moving. The older woman yelled out to Eric, ‘nigger you going to jail’ and advised ‘this ain’t over!’”
Up to now, none of the lynch mob members have been arrested or charged and the police report only lists them as witnesses or victims. Meanwhile, Eric Oliver continues to face a felony charge of aggravated battery.
One must ask why would the police refuse to take statements from witnesses and only take the stories of members of the mob who attacked Eric's family and friends on their property?
This is a clear indication that this white lynch mob “justice” is the status quo in Bronson, a town only 20 miles away from the Rosewood Massacre where a whole African community was wiped out in 1923 by white lynch mobs after a white woman falsely claimed that a black man raped her.
The Eric Oliver Defense Committee and people around the world who are becoming familiar with the Eric Oliver case are demanding that these frame-up charges against Eric be dropped and that he be paid reparations for his unjust arrest and imprisonment.
Sign the petition in defense of Eric Oliver at http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-bronson-florida-justice-for-eric-oliver-no-more-trayvons-no-more-rosewoods
For more information contact the Eric Oliver Defense Committee at free.ericoliver@yahoo.com or 727.851.3659.
Defend Eric Oliver!
No More Rosewoods! No More Trayvon Martins!
As can be seen in the three-page police report above, police refused to interview neighbors who witnessed the lynch mob attack. All of the "witnesses" listed whose statements are included in the report were actual members of the mob who came to Eric Oliver's house to attack 16-year-old Mikey Vasquez.
